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(contains strong language)
A Hakran K'hal Log
Hakran entered the planetary science lab after shuttling up to the Excalibur. His curiosity was piqued, but he was also prepared to be very annoyed if the summons that brought him up here wasn’t worth it. Immediately he saw Ensign Semek seated at the primary console, and made his way over.
“I see you’re sitting down today, that’s good,” Hakran commented.
“Indeed,” replied Semek in the usual unemotional Vulcan way.
“So,” began Hakran, “what is interesting enough to drag me back up to the ship?”
“This,” Semek answered, picking up the mineral nugget lying on the edge of the console. “As well as the organisms responsible for its creation.”
"Is that the same one that ended up in your…” Hakran’s felinoid muzzle wrinkled in a mixture of fascination and revulsion.
“Indeed,” replied Semek once again. “I was most curious about its properties, as well as how and why the microscopic organisms would create them.”
“What have you found?” Asked Hakran.
“The mineral itself is rather remarkable. It is the eighth hardest naturally produced on record, superseded only by those created in planetary formation and within planetary cores. It scores 198 gigapascals on the Vickers test.”
“Impressive,” Hakran said.
“Yes, all the more so that it is a byproduct of a life form, or more specifically of the collective activity of a life form. It seems they use the various elements in the rock they graft to as a form of sustenance. They are multicellular, though relatively simple. When superheated and further fueled by the venting of the highly mineralized water and steam, they begin to secrete this mineral.
“The material richness of the venting explains why they move so quickly into the vents once the hydrothermal pressure has reduced. They are in essence gorging on a feast. The mineral secretion is in essence their form of waste removal, as the hardness of it would otherwise impact their functions.” Semek finished his presentation, complete with various diagrams, charts and tables on the console.
“Huh,” Hakran said. “So basically, you got hit in the ass by proto-Horta .”
“That technically is not an accurate statement, sir. However, I know of no other analogue that would better suit the situation,” Semek said, in that way that almost seems prim in Vulcan standards.
“Well, this is very interesting, Ensign, but I’m still not sure why it required hauling me up here.” Hakran’s ears were easing their way flatter, as there was much to do on the planet that he couldn’t do if he wasn’t on the planet.
“I’m sorry sir, but an explanation of the mechanisms was required first. The reason I believe this is worth your immediate attention is that I believe, considering our lack of 24th Century resources and that where some alloys that we lack are required, we could harvest some of these creatures and recreate the means for them to…” Semek paused momentarily, searching for a less accurate but more appropriate word. “Manufacture the mineral in place for use in repairs.”
“Well, now that’s an interesting thought,” Hakran said, stroking his pointed beard. “I suppose you’ve already begun, if not finished, working up a proposal.”
“Indeed, I am approximately 78% complete,” replied the Vulcan planetary scientist. “I also have the biologists working on some of the particulars in regards to the life forms.”
“Good, get the whole shebang to me as soon as possible. If I find any holes or need more data before I send this off to Commander Hawthorne and Engineering, I’ll be knocking on your door. Good work, Ensign. This is the best idea your ass has ever had.”
Semek raised an eyebrow. “As you say, sir.”

An article on trekmovie.com "Star Trek Picard Show To Deal With Event That Radically Altered Galaxy…" shows a quote from Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman:
Now, I know a number of sims use Nemesis as a coaster, but this brings up the possibility of the destruction of Romulus being hammered further into canon with another Trek series. Are the GMs going to stick to their phaser cannons and keep that DVD as a coaster, or is it going to be (reluctantly) placed back in order? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
🤣

Hakran had retreated to the quiet of his office to review the information they had thus far collected via passive sensor scans. There were some anomalies but all faint enough to rate low confidence scores, so he did no more than keep them in the back of his mind for now.
Rising, he ordered a nice cup of hot vanilla chai from the replicator. As he took his first sip his console beeped. Thinking it was something juicy from the sensor scans he hurried, slopping some of the hot cinnamon-scented liquid on the back of his furry paw. With a curse, he gave it a quick shake and a quick lick which showed how preoccupied he was as he seldom resorted to the "traditional" method of cleaning.
Instead of dry data, it was an official communique from Captain Swain. He quickly wiped up the remaining dripping chai before placing the mug onto his desk, not wanting any more accidents. He opened the message and gave it his usual quick scan to get the gist before re-reading it thoroughly. As he progressed through the message his eyes opened wider while his ears flattened.
He silently mouthed "independent authority to conduct the investigation." Twice. He took an over-large gulp of his chai, then spent the next minute or so regretting it and waiting for his mouth, throat, and esophagus to cool down.
"I'm not a detective! I'm a scientist! A lab scientist. My idea of leading is 'go forth and collect data,' and that's with friendly scientists." He sighed the weary sigh of a person waiting in line at a Department of Suborbital Vehicles office to get their license renewed.
With a powerful snort of air blown through his nose, he glared at the screen and growled "crap on a cracker!"

As of yesterday's update to version 52 (article), Firefox no longer supports any NPAPI plugins but Flash, and states that v53 will do away with it altogether. We're very much on borrowed time with our chat rooms. I haven't as yet found a way to get around this in v52 so if you're still on v51 you may want to turn off automatic updates if you already haven't.

Quantum Headaches
A Hakran K'hal Log
Hakran felt a bit harried, as there was a lot of data to review, and Captain/Dr. Illyan wanted a report a little sooner than the Caitian scientist felt wise under the circumstances. With that said, he was determined to meet the deadline anyway.
The activation of the slipstream drive had been flawless. The propagation of the "Quantum Field" (technically a localized adjustment to a number of fields that affected the related sub-atomic particles' behavior) had progressed well, even with the Excalibur's unique design. While it would be more suitable to use a perfectly symmetrical disk for slipstream, it was just possible with current technology to shape the field around any three-dimensional construct.
The formation of the Threshold also met the theoretical specifications. However, it seemed that something in the system could not keep the Field stable after the Threshold's bow wave began interacting with the matter of the ship. The sensors detected a ripple in the Field that propagated from the leading edge of the Threshold Bow. At the peak 1.8 Hz that the Excalibur experienced the effect caused a great deal of buffeting, which the sturdy ship handled well enough for that short period of time. Anything over 3.2 Hz, however, would create so much flux at the quantum level that any matter contained within it would begin to disassociate into its component sub-atomic particles. That wasn't a great deal of room for error, and how to fix that was out of his milieu, as it was an engineering matter.
There also seemed to be some field effect noted by the internal sensors, but they were not sensitive enough to properly quantify the minute quantum field variations that the slipstream test caused. In his conclusion to his report, he noted that the internal sensors should be upgraded, if not all at least enough to give coverage over the entire length of the ship. He gave everything a quick proof-read, made sure the data was attached, and sent it off to LCdr Vallorn for her review.
After checking the time, Hakran saw he had enough time to catch a light lunch before the briefing. He hated being under the eye of the command staff, preferring to remain anonymous down in the labs, but this mission was not going to give him that luxury. It was made even more awkward, as it seemed that every time that Captain Illyan looked in his direction she seemed as if she was suddenly hit with indigestion. He'd be damned if he was going to suffer through it all on an empty stomach.